We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this afternoon.  First up, Josh Duhamel is ready to get his Nicholas Sparks on.  Variety reports that the Transformers star is in negotiations to lead the adaptation of Sparks’ Safe Haven.  The story centers on a young woman with a dark past who arrives in a small North Carolina town, and reluctantly begins a relationship with a widowed store owner and his two children, and a friendship with her plainspoken neighbor.  Duhamel would play the widowed store owner, but producers are still trying to fill the female lead role.  Also, I’m assuming someone dies at the end.

Lasse Hallström (Chocolat) is onboard to direct and the film already has a pre-Valentine’s Day release date set for February 8th, 2013.  The Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron, opened to a successful number two at the box office last weekend.

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Zac Efron sang and danced his way through High School Musical and lent his voice to The Lorax earlier this year – but the heartthrob is entering new territory with his latest film role, thanks to his steamy love scenes with costar Taylor Schilling in The Lucky One.

“From his past films, [director Scott Hicks] is incredible with capturing the love in those scenes. Everyone builds those scenes up,” Efron, 24, told PEOPLE at Monday’s Hollywood premiere of The Lucky One, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.

“There is sort of a fear inherent in everyone else so me and Taylor weren’t afraid at all.”

Also helpful: the fact that the two costars bonded quickly on the set, according to Schilling.

“I was very nervous. I met Zac in hair and makeup and we just hit it off immediately,” said Schilling, 27, who admits she had never seen High School Musical prior to her screen test with Efron.

“It was just very easy and that sort of click is something you can’t describe but you just really hope for, because then it just makes the process really easy. I feel lucky to count him as a friend.”

Adds Schilling, “Scott shot all the loves scenes at the very end of the shoot and at that point we had already become good friends. … I had never been to New Orleans and he knew New Orleans and we were able to hang out a bunch, so we were at that point very comfortable with each other. I think the harder part is doing some of the emotional scenes and then once those are done, it’s like, you want me to kiss you? Meh. No big deal.”

As for his character in the movie, Efron, 24, who is rumored to be dating Lily Collins, “You couldn’t find two more different people than me and Logan. I really admired his integrity – he’s a Marine, I’m just a musical theater geek.”

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Zac Efron takes on the role of a Marine serving in Iraq for his latest movie The Lucky One.

Based on the novel by Notebook author Nicholas Sparks, the film sees Efron’s war veteran Logan cling to a photograph of a woman (Taylor Schilling) he believes to be his good luck charm. After returning home from duty, he travels to North Carolina in search of the woman and takes up a job at her family-run kennel.
Oscar-nominated Shine director Scott Hicks is behind the camera for The Lucky One, which features Blythe Danner, Riley Thomas Stewart and Jay R Ferguson in its supporting cast.

The Lucky One is the seventh Sparks novel to be turned into a movie. Alongside The Notebook, previous adaptations include A Walk to Remember, Dear John and Miley Cyrus‘s The Last Song.

The Lucky One hits US cinemas on April 20 and will be released in the UK on May 2.

EXCLUSIVE: In his first TV pact, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks has signed a two-year, first-look deal with Warner Horizon Television, the cable division of Warner Bros TV. Under the rich agreement, Sparks and his longtime publishing agent and creative collaborator Theresa Park will develop and executive produce series projects with an eye toward the cable marketplace “that will bring to television many of the core elements of my books and films: romantic love, family bonds, and the universal human dramas that move us all,” Sparks said. The projects, which won’t include shows written by Sparks himself, will be shepherded through Sparks’ newly-launched Nicholas Sparks Prods. Park has been named President of Production for NSP, which will develop and produce both feature film and TV projects. On the feature side, Sparks is producing through NSP Relativity’s Safe Haven, a Lasse Hallström-directed adaptation of his novel which is slated to begin production later this year. The Best of Me, also based on a bestselling Sparks novel, is in development at Warner Bros., with Sparks producing and Park co-producing. Those mark the eighth and ninth movie based on some of Sparks’ 16 published novels. The seventh one, The Lucky One starring Zac Efron, opens April 20. On the TV side, Sparks, repped by UTA and attorney Scott E. Schwimer, sold his first original TV project this development season, supernatural drama The Watchers, which landed at ABC.

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The author talks up the movie adapted from “The Lucky One,” his beloved book.

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Zac Efron’s The Lucky One costar Taylor Schilling is the lucky one, indeed — the actress plays his love interest in the drama, and when I visited the set of the film, I got to chat with her and a few other reporters about her dreamy leading man. Schilling also joked about shooting their love scenes, and gave us some insight into her character Beth.

Is it tough shooting the love scenes with Zac?
Taylor Schilling: I mean, I don’t know. I don’t think so. I wonder what he’ll say. . . [it's] not a bad day to come to work and do that. But you know, it’s not as exciting as you would think it is either; it’s a day that’s very technical when you have to do that in front of a camera.

What were your expectations of Zac?
TS: The thing is, honestly, I didn’t know much of anything about Zac before I got this because I’d never seen those High School Musical movies — which at this point, I can’t wait to see them when we’re done shooting because I’m excited to see what he did before. But I did not really have much of an expectation about him. I knew that he’s incredibly famous, but in terms of his work as an actor, I didn’t really know. So I really got to know Zac when I tested for this film with him and he was just such an incredibly charming, down-to-earth guy — for me, coming in and having never done a studio film before — he made me so comfortable at that test, and he was so generous and so wonderful, and was also so interested in the work. He was so engaged in the scenes and was so good. So good. So talented. It’s just been wonderful to work with someone I really feel has my back as a scene partner. There’s some really vulnerable stuff in this movie, and I feel like I could trust Zac with anything I got. He’s a special guy, a good guy.

Can you explain the vulnerable aspect?
TS: Well, this woman is really going through an intense transition. She’s just experienced a great deal of loss and she’s trying to integrate that into her life. And she’s also in the process of, whether she wants to or not, be hit in the face with this opportunity to love again. And those are two incredibly huge life events I think on their own. And then to have that happen all at once — it’s a lot to reconcile. I think that comes out in so many different ways in the movie.

Do you believe in love at first sight?
TS: You know, I think I do. I think I do believe that sometimes you get a gut instinct on someone, a read. I don’t know, I haven’t experienced that in my lifetime. I totally think that there are those people that you, it’s less intellectual, and you sort of know. Even if it’s that whisper of a voice when you meet someone and you’re like I’m going to know them more, and then you wind up together or something. I don’t think that’s a fantasy, I think that’s real.

Were you familiar with Nicholas Sparks before the movie?
TS: I actually hadn’t read any Nicholas Sparks books. I saw The Notebook, but clearly I didn’t do my research. I’ve seen a bunch of the films, and I’ve read The Lucky One. I do appreciate that there’s something really satisfying and comforting about his stories. They’re so lush and you can kind of fall into them. I really love that.

What Sparks themes appeal to you the most?
TS: I think the idea of falling in love — I mean, that never gets old for me. I think that it’s fascinating in one’s personal life. And it’s such an enduring and universal concept because, I mean, who knows how to really integrate someone else fully into their life? I’m always fascinated by that balance and who that person is, and even in my own life that balance. And it’s always so inspiring, and yet you never stop thinking if that person is there, that somehow you can make it work — either if it’s something that you’re in right now or that you’ll find that person out there. . . And that fantasy that someone will come along and unlock all of the doors that are locked inside of you, and that will kind of solve a lot of the issues, solve your problems. I like that fantasy. And I think that’s another reason why the stories of Nicholas Sparks are so popular, because that’s just so deeply ingrained, at least in my psyche, and [for] a lot of people. I just find that inspiring, you know, that that does happen — that you can open yourself up and be caught and be loved and cared for.

How has your experience been filming near New Orleans?
TS: Fantastic! It’s an amazing city! It’s a really amazing city. It has so much soul; you can feel that just walking down the street. There’s so much history and so much . . . I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere like this before in the world.

Have you had much chance to explore?
TS: I haven’t had as much chance to explore as I would have liked to. I’ve heard a lot of really good music on Frenchman Street and tried a lot of different really yummy foods. But there hasn’t been as many lazy days to walk around New Orleans as I would have liked. But I definitely feel like I’ve gotten a taste of the city and I can’t wait to come back, too. I want to come back as a tourist.

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Nicholas Sparks has sold about 52 million copies of his books, so he knows something about how to write a compelling tale. Hollywood agrees: Seven of his novels have been made into movies. The latest love story, The Lucky One, stars Zac Efron and is due in theaters April 20. Looking to crack Sparks’ best-selling code? “There’s no magic answer,” he cautions. That said, the author has some guidelines on how to weave an authentic love story:

First, determine your characters’ ages. “Age informs dilemma. If you’re going to write a novel about everlasting love, the characters can’t be teenagers,” Sparks says.

Ask questions. A protagonist without an obstacle doesn’t turn pages. Sparks drums up dilemmas by asking “what if?”

Decide on the answers. Sparks says he needs to answer essential questions before he starts writing: “I have to know the age of the characters, I’ve got to know how they meet. I have to know the conflict that’s keeping them apart and what brings them together. Finally, I have to know how it ends,” he says. And for this author, there are only three possible endings: “happy, sad or bittersweet.”

Hit the right tone. “You don’t want to be cliché or melodramatic, and you want it to evoke genuine emotion, and that’s tough,” Sparks says.

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It’s your turn to participate in an enthralling story that lives and grows with every contribution!
Visit http://firstsentences.usaweekend.com to participate. Plus, register to win a signed copy of Sparks’ latest book.

Nicholas Sparks, author of book-turned-blockbuster The Notebook, is back this month with his latest project The Lucky One. We recently talked to the writer about his latest foray into film and his star Zac Efron. Nicholas explained why Zac was right for the challenging role of a soldier with PTSD returning from war and reflected on Zac’s winning chemistry with leading lady Taylor Schilling. Sparks also divulged the fact that he was initially unsure of casting then-unknowns Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as stars of The Notebook and told us which Hollywood actress he would love to see cast in the lead role in a big-screen version of his novel Safe Haven. Watch the video to find out who it is ahead of The Lucky One’s April 20 release.

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Wow. He really went all out this time!

And he really deserves mad props for it!

Zac Efron recently opened up about playing a Marine returning home after his third tour of duty in Iraq in The Lucky One, based on the 2008 Nicholas Sparks novel, and revealed that to properly prepare for the role, he spent quite a bit of time training and spending time at Camp Pendleton – and gained lots of YUMMY MUSCLE!

He says of his character, US Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault:

“I think there’s nothing as extreme as being out there in a war. Coming home, he’s forced to sort of rediscover his life or whatever. What’s next? He’s on his own to find out what ultimately makes him happy and what he wants to do. I think it’s very different from taking orders and being with your brothers constantly and fighting a war and then trying to live your life after and find love.”

“It’s an emblematic sort of journey. It rides on a literal sort of following him beat by beat down a certain route. It’s more of somebody undertaking a journey than is about finding where they belong. So it’s not a literal road trip, but there’s something where each of the images has to be powerfully evocative of the idea of taking yourself on a walk like that.”

Our little Zefron is being such a mature, serious young actor!

AND ALL THE MORE SEKSI BY THE MINUTE!

GAH! Love!

Check out more of his comments on The Lucky One production, his training, and his co-stars…AFTER THE JUMP!

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On preparing for the role and under-going military training:

“Physically I started eating a lot. Eating through walls. Just eating and eating. That’s all I’d do and I put on some weight that way. As far as the training goes, just trying different techniques and methods and working with a guy who I met who trained Vanessa [Hudgens] during ‘Sucker Punch‘… It’s one of the only concrete things that you can do to feel differently about a character. I didn’t feel like a Marine. I didn’t have the posture. I didn’t feel like I had the presence and that was just one thing for me that I could do to really up that change.”

“When I went in to meet some of these guys, the sergeants, I was blown away. I was taller than most of the guys, but they were just thick, like there was something about them. They had a definite presence. Here I am, slouched over and I just smile a lot. I’m just always smiling. These guys were [always serious]. Honestly, it was one of the most awkward moments in my entire life. Essentially, they know you’re there to observe them. It’s sort of just an awkward position to be in. But after about two hours, the guys really opened up and just started to talk more freely about what it’s like. I definitely felt like I was inside, seeing the side of these guys that normal people really don’t get to see.”

“Pretty much all the Marines you see have tattoos. And when we talked to the guys at Pendleton, they all talked about. It was hilarious and all of them were like, ‘Hey, what’s your mistake tattoo?’ They all had various ones. One guy had a sick scorpion up his arm. They all had cool tattoos on their arms and forearms and stuff. One of the guys had a barbed wire around and I was like, ‘What’s that one for?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, this one? This one’s real special. That’s my mistake tattoo. That’s the one that you get when you get out of basic training and you’re real gung-ho.’ I was laughing so hard. I was like, ‘Dude, we gotta have a mistake tattoo.”

On his co-star, Taylor Schilling:

“[Taylor] came in and was so professional and just so good…I just remembered she was doing so many cool, subtle things that I was just fascinated with. So I was like, ‘I already love her. I don’t know how anybody else couldn’t.’ It made sense. She totally deserved it at this point. So I was blown away with her.”

On his dog co-star, Rowdy:

“He’s like the best actor I’ve ever worked with by far. He follows exactly the exact orders. Everything you wanted to do. It’s amazing… I was not prepared to see this level of training the dog. He sits, he lays down, he knows the basics. But then they get into the weird stuff where it’s like, ‘Alright, point your head this way!’ and he looks. Then it’s like, ‘Eyes here!’ and they can move his eyes in a specific direction.”